


Search & Rescue

by vase



Category: RWBY
Genre: Faunus Rights Revolution, Gen, Pre-Canon, faunus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-06
Updated: 2018-05-06
Packaged: 2019-05-02 21:19:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14553753
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vase/pseuds/vase
Summary: As the Faunus Rights Revolution grows more intense, a young scout named Kali is searching for a hidden quarry where her people are held in bondage as one Sienna Khan clings desperately to life and searches for hope in a bastion of despair.This takes place in the Revelations universe and serves as a prequel.





	Search & Rescue

The hot, dry desert air of Vacuo traveled far, even into the forested mountains paths that dominated Southern Sanus. Gnarled, winding trees with thin branches and juicy cacti sprung up all across the foothills. In the former case actually providing a modicum of cover for the woods sole occupant.

Velveteen, feline ears twitched and swiveled atop a head of thick black hair, tied into a loose braid that reached the Faunus’s shoulder. Golden eyes adorned a cherubic face painted in light brown camouflage matching the small woman’s wide sleeved tops and khaki pants, letting her blend into the environment with ease.

Kali’s steps were light and graceful, like the hunter that was her traits-sake, barely even disturbing the foliage and dirt. Leaving no traces of her presence even as she ducked and darted between trees, raised rock-beds and tick bramble patches, amber eyes peeled wide, nostrils flared and ears on high alert.

The radio strapped to her shoulder clicked on with a crackle and a deep voice asked, “Scout K-Two, anything to report?”

The volume was low but in the nearly silent forest it stood out like a roar.

Fangs digging into her bottom lips Kali clicked her radio and said, “I’m fine. Except for the minor heart attack.”

The radio crackled with a laugh, “Third time I heard that one today, you scouts are so unoriginal.”

“Must be all this time alone in the wilds, we run out of fresh material,” Kali muttered, before continuing. “Now, about finding anything, there’s no evidence of a mine here, but I want to keep looking awhile longer just in case.”

“Fair enough. Just remember, we have a schedule to keep and those things are everywhere,” her fellow Faunus snarled over the radio. After a moment he continued, “How about the Grimm, any presence?”

Kali shrugged, even though no one would see it. “Not really, which isn’t bad, this was meant to be a high traffic area for Grimm but I’ve only seen a few juveniles and not even that many.”

“Hmm, I guess there’s no signs of battle?”

“Affirmative,” Kali said. She looked around and she saw the direction of the wind changing by the shaking of leaves up ahead. “No signs of battle or heavy travel either, maybe a Hunter? But they tend to leave marks.”

Kali rose from her crouch as the breeze approached as the radio operator continued to speak. “So what drew them away I wonder and more importantly, will they be back?”

The Faunus sucked in a deep breath and recoiled at the bitter stench on the wind, smoke and embers laced with… Burnt meat? It was hard to tell, so many competing scents all being dispersed by the breeze and crushed under the thick taste of smoke.

“Something wrong?” The radio asked.

Kali ignored them, returning to her crouch she scanned one last time then dashed forward. Hands occasionally gracing the ground as she pushed and propelled herself up the hill and around every obstacle while staying as low as she could in a muggy blur.

In an instant she reached the apex of the mountain ranges base and dived down in a sand bank, ears twitching as she fingered the blade hidden up her sleeve.

“Kali?”

“Shh!” she hissed, her nose wrinkling at the intensity of the smell and her heart beginning to rumble in her chest ever so slightly at the distant sounds of snarling Grimm.

Slowly, ears pressed flat against her head, Kali peaked over the sand bank, nails buried in the stone and she took in the rock valley below.

What met her gaze was familiar, vast stretches of dirt brown rocks, thinning plant life as Vacuo’s desert grew closer and worst of all a few packs of Grimm. It was mostly young one’s milling about but the small batches were all steadily making their way to a large, unnatural looking hole that was easily as large as any airship.

‘There it is,’ Kali grimaced.

Trails of smoke wafted up from the dark shadows of the hole, scattered and ruined airship parts and docking equipment toppled over and ripped to shreds by Grimm shone under the bright light of the sun.

“I found the mine,” Kali said, claw-like nails digging into the stone as she watched the Grimm trundling towards it.

“You did? OK, I’ll triangulate your position, we can spend a few days scouting and-“

"Its fallen, I’m going to look for survivors, Scout K-Two over and out.”

“Kali wa-!”

She clicked the radio off just in time to see a runty looking Ursa turning back as if drawn by her ire.

With a flick of her wrists two long machetes were in hand. With a fierce growl, Kali flipped over the sand bank and lunged towards the Grimm as it threw back its head and bellowed out a roar.

* * *

Sienna staggered in the depths of the mine, crumbling walls of stone and dirt surrounding her as she sagged and rasped in the flickering light, her vision blurred and shaking.

Each step a labor as her body cried out in agony, tensing, pulsing and leaving her entire frame shuddering as flames lanced across her muscles and ice-like daggers seemed to bury deep in the bruises and gashes that lined her frame.

When she spoke it was strained, her throat dry and horse, the weight of the 'miners collar’ gone but the marks it left remained in the forms of sweltering bruises and a broken voice.

“Zeek…”

Another shaking step, followed by a hiss.

“Verna…”

Another, her bare feet dragged on the rough stone.

“…Anyone…”

Chest shaking, bile and blood swelled up in her mouth and she collapsed with a pained shriek on the ground as she threw up.

She could hear a vicious snarl in the darkness, thick heavy paws slapping against the stone and bushing aside broken mining equipment as its malevolent aura filled the tunnel.

“Grimm…” She snarled.

A howl rang out, Sienna bared her broken claws and roared.

* * *

****The ground beneath Kali blurred as she flipped into the air and over a lunging Creep, blades lashing out in a vicious cross cut on its neck.

Not even waiting, she spun mid-air and threw up her arms, letting her slide across the ground as she landed. Sweeping another Creeps legs out from under it and letting her ram the machete’s tip into its soft belly.

As the duo disintegrated, Kali slapped one hand against the ground and pushed herself into the air and out of the way of the last Creeps attack.

Just as it tried to round on her with a roar, Kali thrust her right arm out and embedded her machete in the Grimm’s open jaw and right through its brain with a sick 'c-thunk!’ noise before dragging her weapon back and watching the last of her foes disintegrate.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Kali’s shoulder sagged for a moment before she turned her attention to the open cavern beneath her. The lingering smoke and dirt hovering in the air made it difficult to see even with her vision and the stench of death made her stomach churn.

Gulping back the burning sick liquid trying to escape her throat, Kali ground her teeth clicked on her radio, “No signs of survivors, beginning inspection.”

“Be careful, reinforcements are an hour out.”

“Just try and make sure there’d a medic ready in case I find people,” She asked, slowly marching up to the edge of the drop, stones crackling beneath her strides.

“I’ll tell Ghira, over and out K-two.”

“Over and out,” she sighed, blades up, Kali shouted, “Don’t shoot, I’m here to help!” and jumped.

* * *

 

Kali shuddered, her eyes welled up as she tried to blink away tears as her chest burnt.

Whether from all that she was keeping locked inside her or how she refused to breath in the rancid dead air Kali didn’t know.

'Oh ancestors, so many…’ she thought swallowing back her grief.

Faunus and humans, mine slaves with their collars armed with picks and Dust lay buried beneath a mountain or burnt rubble and shrapnel, side by side with their tormentors, humans in light armor, rifles, whips and the sigils of soldiers.

The bodies had been burnt, it must have been recent, the air practically sizzled with Burn Dust and the bodies states… Kali shuddered. Blades shaking for but a moment as she fruitlessly cast her gaze around the burn out mines central cavern for survivors.

'Four tunnels, barely any Grimm, but it seems like they must have attacked during a revolt, or maybe their attack led to a revolt…’ Kali frowned as her ears twitched at a low grumbling snarl and the pitter patter of heavy paws coming up behind her.

She sucked in a breath and tried not to gag.

Claws scraped on the charred ground and the Beowolf leapt.

Kali spun around in an instant, ducking low and slashing her blades threw the air and bisecting the Grimm.

'Its been burnt,’ she thought, seeing the recent marks marring the Beowolves otherwise black bur and white bones before it vanished.

'If the Grimm were lured her by the slaves there should be more… carnage,’ she grimaced at the sight of several bodies torn up and half eaten. It was horrendous but lacking in the sheer magnitude of what Grimm would normally do. And if they had caused this, why were there so few left after what looked like a cave-in?  

Shaking her head, Kali prepared to move towards the nearest tunnel when a dying yelp struck her ears.

Spinning around she watched a Beowolf lurched out of a tunnel and crack as it hit the floor before fading away.

Out from the darkened cavern stepped a woman, no a girl like Kali herself with a set of striped orange and black ears adorning her dark hair.

She was much too thin, her entire right arm was a mess of lash and burn marks, her black hair and brown skin was coated in Dust grime. Bruises and cuts dotted her ragged and drawn frame that left her looking half starved.

Each breath was shallow, her jaw hung open as she rasped out her breaths and staggered into the chamber, eyes squinting through the blood that caked over them as she brought her one good arm across her stomach, “No… Not here… I c- Is… ”

She began to shake and shudder, a wretched sob escaped her lips and she began to fall.

The spell was broken and Kali blurred forward with a cry.

Just before her shaking knees struck the earth, Kali caught her. Arms slipping under the other Faunus’s shoulders she embraced the girl, cradling her frame against her chest as gently as she could.

The was a pained start and Kali hissed in sympathy as she said, “I’m sorry, just hold on, please I can-”

Deep golden irises stared up at her, horrendously bloodshot and smokey. The other Faunus’s shaking arms reached up and dug broken claws into Kali’s shirt as she began to shake harder and harder, taking in deep breaths that left her wheezing as she tried to speak.

“Faunus… A faunus…  _Lived!_  …You… Someone lived. We won, we… we won!” her glee turned to despair as she collapsed bonelessly against Kali’s frame. The words spilling from her mouth degrading into slurred names and broken cries as she began to sob and growl and desperately tried to roar only to let out broken wails as she clung to Kali with every bit of strength she had, tears coating her face.

Shuddering Kali slowly dropped to her knees and cradled the other Faunus closer. A single hand coming up behind her head to gently stroke her dirty hair and in a voice too soft for human ears and tinged with her own tears, Kali whispered again and again.

“You’re right.”

“Its going to be OK.”

“You won…”

She placed a gentle kiss upon the other girls head and let their grief roll over her like a wave as exhaustion slowly claimed her.

“Someone lived…”

**Author's Note:**

> As noted, this story takes place in the same timeline as my short Revelations series, which takes place within the canon timeline. 
> 
> I hope this was a worthwhile read and I hope I did the characters and circumstances justice, thanks for your time, as always any and all feedback, questions or comments are most welcome!


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